


Tony [Stark] Has A Lot To Answer For

by Gibbs_yeah



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Divergent, Civil War Team Captain America, Explicit Language, Gen, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Tony Tore the Avengers Apart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-09-25 05:39:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9804842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gibbs_yeah/pseuds/Gibbs_yeah
Summary: Title based on director Joe Russo's assessment of the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War: "Tony has a lot to answer for."A collection of quick looks at some things that should be disturbing Tony's sleep.I'll add character tags as they appear.





	1. Bruce: Betrayal

Tony puttered around his lab, his robots humming around him. A roar sounded outside the room and the hairs rose on the back of Tony's neck.  
The Hulk was coming for him.

The far wall shattered as a Hulk-sized hole appeared. But Bruce was the one who walked through. He walked in quietly. He stopped on the other side of the lab table as he said, "Same old Tony."

"Uh, hi Bruce," Tony said. "Want a coffee? Valium? Something else?"

"I want to pound you into the ground and spit on the pieces, so you're lucky I'm not around," Bruce growled as his eyes flashed green.

Tony said nervously, "It's not what you think?"

"Really, Tony?" Bruce asked. "Then what is it? Because I'm pretty sure you're working for Thunderbolt Ross now. The man who made my life a living hell."

Bruce casually twisted a wrench in his hands as he said, "You got all upset with Steve for his big 'betrayal' of not telling you Hydra killed your parents. But you know what? All he did was let sleeping dogs lie---he was hiding that info from himself as well as you."

Bruce prowled nearer with every word as he said, "Now what you did, Tony, that's real betrayal. You knew who Ross was, you knew what he did because you tried to recruit him to S.H.I.E.L.D. You knew he hunted me like a dog, you knew he created the Abomination. And you jumped into bed with him anyway because you didn't want to feel guilty anymore."

Tony felt the edge of another table dig into his back. Up close, he could see the pain in Bruce's brown eyes. Bruce looked at him for long moments before he said, "Way to be a friend, Tony. I wonder if you'd have the balls to betray me to my face, because it looks like you have no problem stabbing me in the back."

Tony woke with a gasp.


	2. Aunt May: Devastation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a parent who was horrified that Peter said no and Tony totally ignored him, then extorted him. And that technically it was kidnapping as well as child endangerment because Aunt May couldn't give informed consent. He said Tony not telling Aunt May about what Peter was doing was the same as Tony knowing Peter had a gun and not telling anyone.

Tony found himself back in Parker's room. The kid was asleep on the narrow bed.

Peter's Strangely Hot Aunt May was standing by the desk, staring at Tony. "How dare you?" she growled.

Tony didn't have a chance to take a breath before she was on him, one hand gripping his shirt as she slammed him against the door. "How dare you!" May yelled.

"I don't---"

"You know exactly what you did," May said as she twisted Tony's shirt. "You stood right in this room and blackmailed a child."

Tony swallowed. "That's not---"

"That's exactly what happened." May's chest heaved and her voice shook as she continued, "Peter didn't want to go and fight anyone. He said no---HE SAID NO---multiple times. And when you couldn't buy his cooperation, you threatened to tell me about Spider-Man if Peter didn't do what you wanted. Because all you cared about was winning your petty little war."

Her voice lowered as she leaned in. She locked eyes on Tony's and said, "You're supposed to be an adult. You're supposed to help keep Peter safe. But that's not what you did, is it? Because the adult thing to do would be getting him to tell me what's going on."

"He didn't want me to," Tony protested. "He wanted me to keep his secret. I thought---"

Tony cringed at the fire in May's eyes as she slammed him against the door again. She spat, "I don't give a shit what you thought. Whether Peter can handle himself was NEVER your call to make. This was NEVER your secret to keep."

May's voice started to shake, and her hands as she said, "Peter is MY responsibility. MY family. Not yours."

Aunt May pushed back and shook her head, tears now falling from her reddened eyes. "Peter is barely old enough to drive, but you took him out of his home to another country---another continent and stuck him in a battle zone."

She took a shuddering breath as she asked Tony, "What if Peter had been seriously hurt? What if he had died? How would you justify any of it? And if Peter really does get hurt, that's going to be partly on you, because you didn't even try to stop him or help him understand why I need to know what's happened to him. And you didn't even try to tell me that the only family I have left is risking his life every damn day while I walk around believing a lie."

Her wet eyes condemned him as she quietly finished, "It's clear you don't have children."


	3. Howard: Hand-Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the news commentator who pointed out that Trump saying he's a self-made man is like Tony Stark saying he's a self-made man. They both built their businesses on inherited millions. And the numerous people who point out that it's ridiculous to say Howard thought of Steve as a son. They were contemporaries.

"You forgot two words," Howard said.

Tony whirled at the familiar voice. On the other side of the workshop, his father held Captain America's shield in his hands. Howard spun the disc on his fingertips, around and around.

Tony swallowed and said, "What do you mean?"

Howard replied, "That little rant of yours in the bunker. 'My father made that shield.'" He looked at Tony and said, "You forgot two words. I made that shield FOR STEVE."

Tony shook his head and said, "Steve doesn't deserve it. He was protecting your murderer---Mom's murderer."

Howard scoffed and said, "YOU were gonna be the only murderer in that room. And you know it. You called Sergeant Barnes 'Manchurian Candidate.' You know he was just a weapon. Whoever in HYDRA gave the order are the ones who killed your mom and me. All Steve did was get in your way."

Tony crossed his arms and said, "Of course you would defend your golden boy. You wouldn't want to tarnish the memory of your favorite son."

Howard laughed at that and said, "Is that what you've been telling yourself all these years? That I was some kind of father figure back in the war? We were all the same age. Steve and Barnes weren't some ignorant kids I was raising. We were friends---BROTHERS."

Howard shook his head. "Jesus, Tony, grow up already. Stop blaming everybody else for your own goddamned problems."

Tony spun and charged his father, flinging the shield aside and shoving the old man into the wall. "You never loved me!"

"I loved you, but I definitely stopped liking you," Howard said as he stared Tony down. "You were a spoiled brat who grew up into a spoiled man. You are the smartest, richest guy in the room and you always make sure everybody knows it."

Howard laughed again and said, "You never even recognized the irony. You don't like being handed things, huh? Well let me tell you, kid, you got EVERYTHING handed to you: wealth, status, power, education, privilege. Even your looks and brains are gifts from your mother and me."

Howard used one finger on Tony's shoulder to move him aside. He walked over to the workbench and perched on it. He said, "You didn't even build the business, after I was gone. Obie did all the hard work of making deals and overseeing production because you were more interested in your toys. You never bothered to check on the business you owned. Seventeen years, Tony. You would have seen that Obie was cooking the books. But you never even bothered to look. That's not naivete---that's negligence."

Howard shrugged and said, "If you hadn't been in the desert that day, you'd still be wasting your life on booze and floozies."

Tony couldn't deny it. He crossed his arms and said, "And whose fault is that? You never had any damn time for me."

Howard stood up and put both hands on Tony's shoulders. "You were 21 years old when your mom and me passed. A goddamn adult. Not 10, like those poor Maximoff kids. If you didn't like the way things were between us, you had years to say something. Even if you just wanted to tell your mom and me that we did a shit job raising you."

Tony shrugged and said, "I---I couldn't."

Howard shook his head and said, "You didn't. You've never been able to admit to yourself that your choices are yours. Just yours. You knew your mom wanted to see you but you were too busy chasing tail to visit except on the holidays. You didn't think we were close enough but said nothing. You treat people like shit and they leave you---or turn on you, like that poor guy stuck on the roof. But it's always THEIR fault somehow, for not seeing 'the real you.'"

Howard paused and then said, "How you treat people IS the real you, Tony. Nobody should have to dig behind your snark and your disrespect to know you. If they don't know 'the real you,' that's on you---not them."

Howard walked over and picked up the shield. He said, "You think Steve doesn't deserve this? Then you gotta ask yourself what you deserve, Tony. After all you've done, what do you deserve?"


	4. Nick Fury: Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by: 1) The movie commentator who confirmed that a) Steve was ALWAYS trying to disable the suit, not hurt Tony b) That Tony attacked Bucky partly to hurt Steve and c) Tony didn't actually "see his mom strangled before his eyes"---that was Bucky's memory, not the film footage. The film only showed the outside of the car. 2) The horrified silence in the theater when Tony shot Sam. 3) The imdb commenter (back when the boards were active) who pointed out that people in SHIELD and the military knew that the Starks were assassinated because the serum wasn't found in the wreck.
> 
> Also note: There's no comparison between Steve's slip with Crossbones and Tony's actions. Steve froze for a moment and Crossbones took advantage. Tony goes gunning for people. Not just in Captain America: Civil War but in some of his own films, too.

The slow clap caused Tony to turn and meet Nick Fury's one disdainful eye. Nick said, "Congratulations, Tony. Heard you got a new hobby: shooting men who aren't actually shooting at you."

"Barnes and Rogers had it coming," Tony said as he stiffened.

"I'm not talking about them---yet," Nick said as he perched on a stool and continued, "I meant Sam Wilson."

Nick scoffed and said, "He's a goddamn paramedic. The man was powered down, coming over to HELP Rhodes. And your shot was so hard it flipped him like a flapjack and slammed him into the dirt."

Nick shook his head and said, "Pretty dick move, Tony."

Tony shrugged it off and said, "I was upset."

"Yeah, you use that excuse a lot," Nick replied. He looked Tony up and down and said, "I'm not buying it."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked as he shifted and glanced around his workshop. Looking for an escape that wasn't there.

"I mean you don't get to shoot people just because you feel like it," Nick said. He stood up and continued, "Yeah, you had a bad day---got some bad news, some really shit news. But seeing that grainy film and finding out what happened to your parents doesn't give you the right to try and kill ANYONE---especially when you knew that Barnes was out of his head at the time."

Tony sneered and said, "You think you would have done any better?"

"Maybe. At least I wouldn't be shooting people in the back," Nick said as he crossed his arms. He continued, "That's what you did, right? Shot Barnes' arm off, then shot him in the back and when he was down, kicked him in the head."

Tony's mouth tightened as he said, "Barnes got in my way."

"I thought BARNES was the target," Nick shot back. He snorted and said, "Yeah, you would've probably blasted Rogers right off that mountain if Barnes hadn't spoiled your aim. It's funny when you think about it. Cap was having a shitty day, too, what with the guy in the armored suit full of lasers and missiles trying to kill his best friend. But did Cap lose his cool? Nah, he kept his eye on the prize---the arc reactor. He let you think he was going to bash you in the face when he tore your mask off. Something YOU probably would have actually done. But all Cap did was get your arms out of the way so he could take out your power source. Wham, bam, and so long fucker."

Nick was turning away when Tony shouted, "He should have told me!"

Nick spun back around, and the look on his face made Tony's gut twist. Nick said softly, "You really think so?"

Tony just shrugged. He didn't like the way Nick was looking at him.

Nick shrugged, too. Then he said, "Rogers saw a ten-second clip of your dad's obit in the middle of a shitstorm. You expected him to go out on a limb for that?"

Nick laughed and said, "You don't get it, do you? Romanov had the same intel---SHE didn't think it was worth sharing."

Tony fell back as Nick approached step by step and said, "You know who else knew about your parents? Some bigwigs in the military. Some bigwigs in HYDRA. And some bigwigs in S.H.I.E.L.D."

Tony gasped and asked, "YOU?"

"Hell, yeah," Nick replied. "Peggy Carter, too. It was part of the big box of dirty secrets they give you when they make you head honcho."

Nick was nose-to-nose with Tony now. Nick's voice dropped to a whisper when he said, "All those people, all those years. And nobody thought to tell you. You know why, Tony? Because 'you get upset,' go off half-cocked and half-crazy, and really bad things happen."

Nick snorted and said, "And you wonder why nobody trusts you."


	5. Clint, Wanda, Vision: Hypocrite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a few old IMDB threads: 1) The tech guys who pointed out that Tony and Bruce were reckless and incredibly dumb to use the scepter the way they did. There weren't any problems on the helicarrier when they were just studying it---the problems happened because the science bros were doing things with the scepter they were never authorized to do. 2) The tons of folks who pointed out that Tony should be sitting on the Raft too. 3) The conversation about how Tony was directly and indirectly responsible for way more deaths than Wanda, but never faces any consequences. 4) Speculation on how Vision (and Rhodey) would take the news about Tony's little jaunt to Siberia after Tony was so eager to make everyone else sign the Accords and he was so disdainful of the folks who didn't.

Tony woke up aboard the Raft. It was night. The only light came from the ceiling of his cell. As he sat up, he realized that he wasn't alone.

Clint and Wanda were sitting on the floor across from him. Still in their prison gear. Wanda still wearing that flashing collar and straitjacket. They looked at him and his blood chilled.

Clint said, "So nice to see you here---right where you belong."

Tony stood, paced the room, and ended up with his back to the corner. He definitely felt caged. He couldn't pretend he didn't know what Clint meant.

Wanda stood and approached. She said, "You called ME a Weapon of Mass Destruction. How did you not choke on the irony, Merchant of Death?"

She sneered and continued, "I remember what Ultron said, what Klaus told us was your motto: 'Make your friends rich and your enemies rich, and then find out which is which.' That's something you say to make a deal or celebrate one. You didn't care who bought your weapons."

Clint shrugged and said, "That's pretty much the way it went for what, 20 years?"

"Yes," Wanda agreed, then asked, "So Tony, if you call me a WMD, then what are you?"

Tony didn't want to answer. Didn't want to speak the words.

Clint did it for him. He said, "Tony's the guy who decided to treat unknown alien tech like a giant flash drive. Something Thor, THE OWNER, would never have agreed to."

Tony stiffened and said, "I had a vision---"

"And the vision ended," Wanda said with a huff. She continued, "There was no scarlet mist in your eyes when you started experimenting on the scepter."

Wanda leaned into his space, fire flashing in her eyes as she said, "If Johannesburg is mine, then Sokovia is yours. Ultron is yours."

Clint nodded and said, "You were building Ultron WAY before the twins. How could you not know what would happen? Have you not SEEN War Games? ANY Terminator movie? Computers being in charge NEVER ends well."

He huffed and continued, "But you have the nerve to call Wanda a WMD---when she doesn't even DO the mind stuff anymore. And when she has never birthed a murderbot. And when she was trying to save everyone from a bomb SHE didn't build or set off."

Clint shook his head and said, "Really, man, you had to have noticed the flaming hypocrisy. You being a genius and all. And for all the stunts you've pulled, your whole life, you've never done even one day of detention. And why is that?"

Wanda looked Tony up and down. Her face hardened as she said, "Because he's Tony Stark. He has money and connections and doesn't think the rules apply to him. "

"I've changed," Tony protested.

"No you haven't," Clint said, crossing his arms. He continued, "If you'd really changed, if you were really playing by the rules YOU AGREED TO, Siberia would never have happened."

Clint pointed at Tony as he said, "You signed what, Tony, 300 pages of protocols. Did you follow even ONE? You told Ross about the fake doc, but you didn't even bother to tell him about the other Winter Soldiers."

Tony shrugged, eyes darting away as he said, "I couldn't."

Wanda scoffed and said, "You couldn't trust Ross. Because you realized that Ross is just like YOU---more interested in getting his own way than anything else."

Clint tapped each finger to emphasize his points as he said, "Did you call Everett Ross? Anyone on the UN panel? Anyone else in the UN? The press? The President?"

He waved his hand and said, "Nah, you just went and got the info from Sam, then swooped in, doing your own thing, same as always."

Wanda said, "Doing the EXACT same thing we were trying to do: Saving the world. But the UN called it 'unauthorized avenging' and locked us up here."

Clint's lip curled as he said, "Same old Tony Stark. Mouths off at everyone else about how WE need to be put in check and how WE chose the wrong side. Then he turns around and does THE SAME EXACT THING. And goes on his merry way."

The disdain in Clint's eyes made Tony want to sink into the floor as Clint said, "So don't pretend you're anything but a liar, Tony. Because at least WE were honest---we knew we couldn't wait for the UN panel to get its thumb out of its collective ass before we did something. WE didn't give our word and then shit on the promises we made."

"And then hide away what we did," Wanda said as she leaned against the cell wall.

Vision suddenly walked through the locked door, startling Tony into a yelp. Vision asked, "Is this true?"

Tony took a deep breath. This was the moment---he could admit the truth to himself and them.

Instead he shrugged.

Vision's brows furrowed as he said, "This is most serious, Tony. You violated the Accords that you swore to uphold."

"Yep, it was right on the signing page," Clint said. He recited, "Individuals shall no longer operate freely or unregulated...but act only WHEN and IF the panel deems it appropriate and/or necessary."

Vision stepped up to Tony. Tony felt burned by Vision's earnest eyes as Vision said, "Your choices are clear. If you discovered flaws in the Accords that drove you to violate them, then you have a duty to report your violation and expose those flaws."

When Tony said nothing, Vision continued, "If you still believe in the Accords, then you are honor-bound to report your violation and face the consequences to which you've signed and agreed."

At Tony's continued silence, disappointment washed over Vision's face, slowly changing to disgust.

Vision walked over to Clint and Wanda. He lifted his hands to them. Clint set his hand on Vision's shoulder, while Wanda leaned her cheek into Vision's palm.

Tony's eyes widened as Vision turned all three of them transparent and floated them away. They solidified on the other side of the cell door.

The trio gave Tony a last look. Then Vision said, "Clint is right: This IS where you belong. And you should ask yourself, Tony, what do you lack? Courage, honor, or conviction?"

Everything went black.


	6. Natasha: Listen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by imdb threads that pointed out 1) The airport fight didn't have to happen because Tony should have listened. 2) It was unreasonable to expect Team!Cap to surrender when the world was at stake, and unreasonable to expect anyone to hand over Bucky to the people who had failed him (by allowing Zemo in) and still threatened him (T'Challa). 3) Tony signed away his power over his own situation when he signed the Accords. The countries couldn't act against SI for Tony simply refusing to sign, but they can punish him for violating the Accords or trying to renege on his deal. 4) The UN would have no interest in giving up their newly gained control over the Avengers and even if some countries would, getting anything amended can take months or years. So Tony waving his hand and urging Steve to sign a very flawed document was manipulation and deception on Tony's part. (Which RDJ has also acknowledged.)

Tony was sitting in the Avengers common area. The last place the team was truly together. He was in Cap's seat. Across from him, Natasha said, "I wish I'd kept my mouth shut."

Her eyes were filled with a kind of grim sadness as she continued, "I should've known that scoring a point on Steve meant more to you than the future of the team."

"That isn't true," Tony protested. He said, "I just wanted everyone to realize that I had your support."

"No, you said 'I win' and that was it. You ended the conversation because you didn't want to listen," Natasha replied.

She stood and crossed to the railing. She said, "You acted just like Ross did. Rhodes asked a question about contingencies, but Ross ignored him because he didn't want to admit that there ARE no contingencies in the Accords. After Ross left, you did the same thing---shut down the conversation when it wasn't going your way. Sam had some concerns. Steve asked some valid questions. But you weren't interested in listening, Tony. You made up your mind and didn't want to hear anything different."

Tony grunted but didn't deny the assessment.

Natasha frowned as she continued, "Same thing at the airport. Steve tried to let us know about the threat of the Winter Soldiers. Of course he and the others weren't going to surrender---the world was in danger and there was no time to waste. We should have listened. We could have gone together as a team to Siberia."

She paused and held Tony's gaze and said, "But you didn't WANT to listen. You shut Steve down and started the fight. And we all know what happened after that."

Tony was grateful she left it at that. He didn't really want her to point out that Cap, at least, heard Tony out at the command center after Barnes was brought in. Or that Tony kept Wanda's internment a secret because he didn't want to hear the other Avengers' complaints. And he DEFINITELY didn't want her to bring up the bunker. Tony had no interest in listening then. He didn't want to acknowledge that Barnes was a victim, same as Tony and his parents.

"I can still fix this," Tony declared. "I can get the Accords amended and show Cap and the rest that we were right to sign all along."

Tony cringed as Natasha lifted a brow and looked at him like she saw right through him. 

After a moment she said, "We signed the Accords unconditionally, Tony. We accepted the terms. What reason are you going to give to amend an agreement you had no problem signing the week before?"

Tony shrugged and said, "I'll think of something."

Natasha shrugged right back and said, "The UN didn't ask us to be part of drafting the Accords, so why would they listen to us about changing them?"

Tony snorted and waved a hand. "Billionaire tech genius here. Money talks."

"These are countries, not individuals, Tony. You can't just throw money at the problem," Natasha said as she sat back down. 

She tilted her head and said, "You're not a weapons contractor anymore, so what can you possibly offer them that they would think is worth giving up control over the Avengers? A sale on arc reactors? A free phone for every vote that goes your way?"

Natasha reached forward and laid a hand on Tony's. Her green eyes gazed at him as she said, "You signed the Accords, Tony. You knowingly and willingly put yourself under the authority of the UN panel and those 117 countries. If you try to use Stark Industries to force changes to the Accords, those countries will just do what they did when you stopped making weapons. They'll make you pay the full penalty for breaking your contracts and find another supplier."

Her grip tightened as she continued, "Or worse, those countries could punish you for reneging on your deals. They could ban your products from their countries. They can easily do without one brand of tech, but can your company survive without all of those markets?"

Tony pulled away to run both hands through his hair as his shoulders slumped. He asked, "So what can I do?"

"Oh, now you're ready to listen?" Natasha asked, but her smile was sad. She said, "I don't know, Tony. We signed away our choices. You can put Ross on hold all you want but when the time comes, you'll have to follow the UN's orders. Whatever they are. That's what you wanted, that's what you agreed to---to hear and obey."

Tony closed his eyes a moment. When he opened them, he was alone.


	7. Maria Stark and Pepper: Psychology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by 1) Jocelyn, who wanted to know Pepper's view of things, 2) The people complaining Pepper "betrayed" Tony by leaving him, as if Pepper's only purpose in life was to be Tony's doormat, 3) The thread speculating that Maria Stark would not be pleased with the bloody legacy Tony was trying to pin on her memory, and 4) The articles mentioning that Steve's scenes were either cut or clipped throughout Captain America: Civil War. As one commenter described the result (paraphrasing), Everyone in the film is hurting, but only Tony Stark gets to bleat about his manpain and make weepy cow eyes at the camera for minutes on end.

Tony found himself in the "set" that he created for the B.A.R.F device. He blinked as he saw the two figures on the couch. Pepper and his mom were settled on the cushions, holding glasses of white wine.

Maria Stark nodded to Pepper and said, "I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did."

Pepper shrugged and replied, "I don't like to give up before it's time to give up, you know?"

Tony wanted to ask how she knew it was time. Fortunately, his mother was curious as well.

Maria tilted her head and asked, "So what finally sent you out the door?"

"It wasn't one particular thing, really," Pepper replied. She studied her wine a moment, then said, "I just couldn't take the secrets and lies anymore. How many broken promises is a woman supposed to live with?" 

Pepper kept her back to Tony, like she couldn't even stand the sight of him anymore.

"So it was more than the Iron Man escapades?" Maria asked as she sipped her wine.

Pepper sighed and said, "That played a big part, I'll admit. He's absolutely obsessed with those suits. But he won't even be honest with me about them."

Tony cringed as he realized that Pepper had seen through him.

"He promised he would back off, do less," Pepper said as she shook her head. She continued, "But he didn't. And worse, he tried to use the Accords as some kind of half-measure instead of telling me the truth. I'd have respected him if he admitted that he didn't want to give up the Avenging. I'd probably have left him just the same, but at least I would have respected him."

Maria nodded and said, "It's hard to view someone as an adult when they're always looking for other people to solve their problems."

Pepper leaned forward and said, "Exactly! It's not the problems, it's the lack of trying to address the problems. I thought Tony was going to get help. I completely understand why he would have emotional issues after all that's happened. I mean, anyone can get PTSD. That's no one's fault. But when he refuses to be treated for this many years..."

"It's not as though Tony can't afford therapy," Maria said as she gestured around the room. She continued, "Look at all of the hundreds of millions of dollars that went into this. Surely that would have paid for at least one therapist."

Pepper nodded and said, "The only thing keeping Tony from getting help is Tony. If he's making poor choices because he's in a bad place, it's at least partly because he chose to stay there. And after a while, I just felt like I was more of an enabler than a lover. There's only so much I can do, I'm not his…" 

Pepper paused and flushed. Then she said, "Well, I'm not you."

Maria laughed and said, "You're certainly not. And who would expect you to be? Tony is a grown man---he has to step up and deal with his own problems. And part of that is admitting his own mistakes."

Tony bristled and stomped into the room. He yelled, "My mistakes? What about everything that Nat's done, or Wanda, or His Holiness Captain America---"

"Tony, we are talking about you and your actions right now, not any of them. Besides, trying to point fingers at someone else isn't a defense, it’s a deflection," Maria said. She looked at Tony the same way she did when he was 11 years old and she caught him trying to hotwire his dad's favorite car.

She frowned in disappointment as she continued, "At least Natasha, Wanda, and even Steve had the grace and maturity to acknowledge they made mistakes in these recent events. When will you do the same?"


	8. Thor: Worthy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by 1) MedusaStone, Ella, and 68hawkeye_fan, who pointed out that Tony betrayed Clint's family to Ross. (Talk about a dick move.) and 2) A Joss Whedon interview for Age of Ultron. When asked why Steve wasn't worthy of lifting Mjolnir, Whedon asked why do you think Steve wasn't worthy and said that Steve was a good friend who didn't want to upset Thor. To me that makes sense, because lifting Mjolnir is kind of a Yes or No question. You can or you can't. If you can budge it, you can lift it. Steve just chose not to. (And he did so after Winter Soldier, so apparently his "betrayal" of Tony didn't make him any less worthy.)

Tony stumbled back a few steps before he realized he was in the Barton family farmhouse. Toys lay scattered on the floor and a carseat sat on a table. A chill ran down his spine as he realized Laura and the kids were nowhere to be seen. Had Ross already gotten to them?

He saw a muscled figure stepping onto the porch. The sun shone on short blond hair. Was it Clint? Cap? Tony started looking around the room for a weapon.

Tony sighed in relief as Thor filled the doorway. Tony said, "Hey Point Break. When did you get the buzz cut? Looks great, very Matt Damon."

He sputtered to a stop as Thor continued to silently regard him. There was something different about the Asgardian. A weariness clung to Thor like the red cloak he used to wear.

"I am here to discover the truth," Thor said as he stepped forward. His blue eyes stared down at Tony as Thor's large hands tightened their grip on his hammer. Thor asked, "Is it true that you betrayed our shield brother Clint?"

"I---no, not really," Tony said as he started to back away. "He was asking for it---did you hear what he said to me?"

Thor's brows lowered as he asked, "What possible words could Clint speak that would justify you exposing his most precious secret to such a dangerous man as Thaddeus Ross?"

"It's not like that," Tony protested.

"Nay, do not lie. Your shame is plain to see," Thor answered as he stepped forward. He continued, "You were angry and those petty, spiteful words spilled from you like bile."

Thor's blue eyes flashed as he continued, "Clint opened his home to us. Offered shelter and safety in the bosom of his family when we were hunted by a creature born of YOUR mistakes. Ultron too, was spiteful and petty. He sought to destroy the world. You risked destroying Clint's world and endangered his innocent wife and children. Have you thought what may happen if Ross pulls that thread you so carelessly dangled for him? HAVE YOU?"

Tony fell to his back on the floor. He shouted, "I didn't mean it!"

Thor paused, Mjolnir poised above Tony's chest as Thor leaned over him. Thor said, "You boast of your genius, Stark. Do you now dare claim ignorance of your actions?"

Thor's lip curled as he said, "You told the captain that he was not worthy of his shield because of his great betrayal of you. But what was that? A silence he held with no ill intent in his heart. Mjolnir deemed him worthy still. But how will Mjolnir judge you, who with malice spoke such a great betrayal of one who aided you in your time of need?"

Tony gasped as the hammer came to gently rest over his heart. He felt the weight of all of his mistakes sink him into the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the end of our little look at Tony's missteps in Civil War and other films. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> List updated 4/19/2018!
> 
> Visit [The Pro Team Cap list](https://gibbs-yeah.dreamwidth.org/340.html) for a list of fics that DON'T bash Team Cap!
> 
> If you know of a fic you'd like to see on the rec list, mention it in a comment on this fic and I'll add it.


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